Right-wing influencers were spreading conspiracy theories about the rat-borne illness that has left three luxury cruise ship passengers dead, according to reports on Thursday.
Experts from the World Health Organization have said that the hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius is being transmitted human-to-human and that MAGA social media accounts are now suggesting the virus was purposefully introduced to the passengers, The Daily Beast reported. The ship has been stranded off Cape Verde throughout the week but is now back to sailing with the plan to disembark passengers in the Canary Islands starting on Monday. Eight confirmed cases have been connected to the cruise, prompting medical evacuations in South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
MAGA followers were sharing their unfounded claims.
"HOLY S---. Twenty-three hantavirus cruise passengers returned home to ‘all corners’ of the World even America with one person already sick, per NYP. THEY ARE GOING TO TRY AND DO IT AGAIN. BUCKLE UP…” the MAGAVoice wrote on X.
The account has 1.3 million followers and later shared this post: "Strange how viruses only occur when President Trump is in office and during Elections…"
DC Draino, an account run by MAGA influencer and lawyer Rogan O’Handley with more than 2.3 million followers, expressed doubt about the WHO's updates.
"People on X giving better pandemic advice than everyone at WHO combined," DC Draino wrote on X.
Right-wing commentator 01Hour wrote this on X: "If an outbreak happens on a ship. Leave it on the ship. Bring the doctors on the ship with equipment and make it a floating ICU. Did they learn nothing?"